Mobile based neighborhood watch system and client application

ABSTRACT

A mobile based neighborhood watch system capable of group interactions, anonymous messages and observation reports. Employing a downloadable mobile client application in their mobile device, members of a local neighborhood watch group can send messages to each other, wherein messages can include voice recorded on their mobile devices and photos taken using their mobile devices. They can also provide comments on messages received, and make observation reports regarding a task they have conducted, something they have noticed, a situation they have witnessed, etc. The membership of the local neighborhood watch group is maintained by a server, and such membership typically includes people staying in a neighborhood, local law enforcement officials, local fire department workers, etc.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent application is a continuation of, claims priority to,and makes reference to U.S. non-provisional patent Ser. No. 13/010,785,entitled “MOBILE BASED NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH SYSTEM CAPABLE OF GROUPINTERACTIONS, ANONYMOUS MESSAGES AND OBSERVATION REPORTS”, filed on Jan.21, 2011, docket number BRR022011U1, which is a continuation-in-part of,claims priority to, and makes reference to U.S. non-provisional patentSer. No. 12/221,876, entitled “MOBILE DEVICE FOR ACCESS TO AGRICULTURALSERVICES BY NON-LITERATE AND SEMI-LITERATE USERS”, filed on Aug. 6,2008, docket number BRR2008AGF01-U1. The complete subject matter of theabove-referenced United States patent applications is herebyincorporated herein by reference, in their respective entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to security, and specifically tothe use of mobile devices for neighborhood security monitoring andcoordination.

2. Related Art

In the last decade, mobile devices of all kinds have proliferated allover the world. Some of them are small tiny cellular phones, others aremore powerful and flexible smartphones, some are small electronictablets and tiny netbooks, etc. All of these are very convenient to use.

The Internet is a very powerful communication means and quite often, themobile devices available in the world can employ the Internet forcommunication. Most of them also employ the telecom networks (such ascellular networks) for communication. Some of the mobile devices can useboth the Internet as well as the telecom networks for communications.

People using mobile devices such as mobile phones often find a cameraembedded in the mobile phones and take pictures. Some of them are alsocapable of emailing these pictures to friends. Of late, some mobiledevices have become capable of displaying digital videos and movies.Some of them are also able to capture small digital video clips.

Quite a few websites make it possible for a user to use his laptop or PCto upload photos to the websites. Such photos are typically uploaded toan album online and sometimes shared with friends. The YouTube serviceon the Internet makes it possible for a user to record a digital videoand upload them from their laptop or personal computers to the YouTubeserver. Such videos can also be shared with friends.

There are currently no generally available means by which a group ofpeople can collectively work together for a safe neighborhood, orcurrently participate in sharing information with their neighbors, orwork together to keep neighborhoods safe. Neighborhood watch groups insome communities require people to keep an eye on things, call thepolice if there is a crime, call 911 in case of emergency. The use oftechnology is limited, and people make voice calls on cellular phones tosometimes keep in touch.

There are no easy to use methods by which all the people watching overtheir neighborhoods can share their observations with each other,especially if they have to make observations, talk about issues, warneach other, etc. There is no available solution currently in the marketby which these neighborhood watch members in the community can shareinformation about a local problem in their streets other than to walkaround, knock on doors and talk to people.

Every day, people encounter situations calling upon them to be the eyesand ears of law enforcement. There is no easy way to do that other thancalling 911 or the local police when there is an emergency. Theneighborhood watch programs in different communities allow citizens tohelp in the fight against crime, but they are not equipped with thenecessary tools and easy to use solutions that could make themeffective. Neighborhood watch and other such programs provide anopportunity for communities to bond through service, but withoutsufficient technology deployment and easy and inexpensive tools, theirefficacy is questionable at best.

In view of the foregoing considerations, it is clear that there is aneed for an improved system and method that is capable of facilitatinginteractions between people who participate in neighborhood watchactivities. There is a need for such members to share comments andobservation regarding local issues.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods of operationthat are further described in the following Brief Description of theDrawings, the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the claims.Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of the invention madewith reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective block diagram of a mobile based neighborhoodwatch system capable of group interactions, anonymous messages andobservation reports wherein members of a neighborhood watch programinteract with each other using mobile devices.

FIG. 2 is a perspective block diagram of a mobile device thatfacilitates user participation in a neighborhood watch program, whereinthe mobile device can be used by a user to interact with others in theneighborhood watch group and send messages to them, receive instructionsfrom them, etc.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary operation of the mobile basedneighborhood watch system wherein a group can interact with each otherusing messages and observation notes while conducting neighborhood watchactivities.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention provides a mobile based neighborhood watch systemcapable of group interactions, anonymous messages and observationreports.

FIG. 1 is a perspective block diagram of a mobile based neighborhoodwatch system 105 capable of group interactions, anonymous messages andobservation reports wherein members of a neighborhood watch programinteract with each other using mobile devices 109, 119. Employing adownloadable mobile client application 107, 141 in their mobile devices109, 119 respectively, members of a local neighborhood watch group cansend messages to each other, wherein messages can include voice recordedon their mobile devices 109, 119 and photos taken using their mobiledevices 109, 119. They can also provide comments on messages received,and make observation reports regarding a task they have conducted,something they have noticed, a situation they have witnessed, etc. Themembership of the local neighborhood watch group is maintained by aserver 111, and such membership typically includes people staying in aneighborhood, local law enforcement officials, local fire departmentworkers, etc. The server makes it easy to create such groups and managethe membership.

The present invention facilitates registration of new neighborhood watchprograms. Managers of new neighborhood watch programs can use thewebpages provided by the server to register the new programs, make a newuser group, and upload a list of members to make them members of thatnew user group. The user group can then download the mobile client ontotheir mobile devices and start interacting with each other, sendmessages to the whole group, etc. The present invention also makes itpossible to register a new group from the mobile device of a user (suchas a manager of the neighborhood watch) and upload a list of members orselect a list of members for a new group created from the contact listof that user (manager of the group).

Once the group is registered the manager of the group will receiveinstructions on his mobile device (from the server 111) on how to holdneighborhood watch meetings, additional information about theneighborhood watch program, and other ideas to help the group interact.In addition, the server 111 provides links to online resources, accessto online training, a calendar to organize events for the group, etc.

The neighborhood watch members and local law enforcement specialistsparticipate in interactions facilitated by the present invention. Forexample, they can be members of the same group and send messages to eachother, review observation reports sent by the members of the group, etc.Such collaboration helps in tracking, and monitoring crime in anyneighborhood, including the trafficking of child pornography, identitytheft, various forms of Internet fraud, hacking and network intrusioncases, harassing and threatening cases, and child exploitation cases.

The mobile based neighborhood watch system 105 comprises a plurality ofmobile devices 109, 119 (each containing a mobile client such as mobileclient application 107), the server 111 to which the plurality of mobiledevices 109, 119 are communicatively coupled and a user group managementmodule 129 in the server 111. The user group management module 129 inthe server 111 facilitates creating a primary group of mobile users atthe server 111, wherein the primary group comprises user contactinformation for a group of users associated with the plurality of mobiledevices 109, 119. These members of the group of users are all typicallyresident in a neighborhood where the neighborhood watch is beingconducted. For example, the primary group may contain 20 members wholive on the same street in a small community, and include local lawenforcement officers such as the local sheriff and his deputy.Optionally, a secondary group of members for a neighborhood watch groupcan be created, with members from local government such as a city clerk,a local judge, (in the county), a postman, a city council member, alocal attorney, a fireman, etc.

The server 111 comprises the user group management module 129 used tocreate and manage user groups such as the primary group of mobile usersfor an exemplary neighborhood watch group, an external system interface123 used to interact with external systems such as an external server117, storage components 127 (including databases that are necessary),and an access manager module 125 that can be used to set or managepasswords, security credentials, etc. The user group management module129 is also used to create and manage user accounts, managesubscriptions if necessary, create user profiles, etc. The server 111also comprises a database 147 where neighborhood watch groupregistration data is stored, details of members are stored, observationnotes and messages are stored until archived or deleted, and calendar ofevents for the groups are stored.

The mobile client application (such as 107, 141) in each of theplurality of mobile devices (such as 109,119) is used for sending one ofan anonymous message, a regular message or an observation report to oneor more members of the primary group, who receive them via theirassociated ones of the plurality of mobile devices 109, 119. The mobileclient application 107, 141 in each of the plurality of mobile devices109, 119 respectively, are also capable of receiving and displaying theanonymous message received, the regular message received, or theobservation report received. The mobile client application 107 in eachof the plurality of mobile devices 109 enable the selection of a guidedactivity from the server 111 by a manager, or another user, andforwarding it to one or more of the plurality of mobile devices 109. Inaddition, the mobile client application 107 in each of the plurality ofmobile devices 109 facilitates retrieving the guided activity from theserver 111 and displaying it, based on user selection of that guidedactivity on the mobile client application 107.

In one embodiment the messages (anonymous message or the regularmessage) comprise at least one of a voice recorded by sender and aphoto. For example, the user might record an audio message using themobile client 107 on the mobile device 109, then take a photo on thesame mobile device 109 using the mobile client 107, and then send themessage using the mobile client 107, without any textual inputnecessary. The user's message is sent to the entire group, i.e. allmembers of the primary group for that neighborhood watch. These membersof the primary group receive that message on their own mobile devices109 or on the website 145 provided by the server 111.

In general, the mobile client 107 in the mobile device 109 facilitatescreating and sending the anonymous message created by a user, where thesender's name, phone number or other particulars are not included. Italso facilitates creating and distributing a regular message thatincludes the sender's name, phone number or other particulars. Itfacilitates creation by a user of an observation report that mightinclude textual inputs, one or more photos, audio inputs (voice) andrecorded video.

In general, the server 111 facilitates receiving and distributing theanonymous message sent by a user where the sender's name, phone numberor other particulars are not included. It also facilitate receiving anddistributing a regular message that includes the sender's name, phonenumber or other particulars, and the observation report sent by a userthat might include textual inputs, one or more photos, recorded audioand recorded video.

In one embodiment, the server 111 presents a form to the one of theusers on his corresponding mobile device 109 in order to facilitatecreation of an observation report by the user, wherein the formcomprises a plurality of user prompts soliciting a set of user inputs.The server 111 also collects the set of user inputs provided by the oneof the users to the user prompts in the form and stores it forsubsequent processing and distribution.

In another related embodiment, the mobile client 107 allows the user tomake a new message anonymous when the user records the new message tosend to at least one member of the primary group. The mobile client 107on the mobile device 109, when requested by the user, shows informationon suspicious activities and also lets the user report on suspiciousactivities that he may have witnessed. For example, mobile client 107presents to the user (when requested by the user) the suspiciousactivity check list comprising solicitations for description of personsinvolved, descriptions of vehicles involved, descriptions of locationand an address where a suspicious activity took place, and details ofany crime or damage that the user had witnessed.

In general, the server 111 provides the website 145 that provideswebpages to manage the primary group membership, add or delete members,create a secondary group of members, forward messages between groups,etc. The server 111 facilitates sending messages, forwarding informationand distributing guided activities to the plurality of mobile device ora subset thereof. The guided activities provide instructions to a useron how to conduct a task, collect data, report information, etc. Theserver 111 sends guided activities to one or more of the plurality ofmobile devices when it receives instructions to do so from a manager ofthe primary group. The server 111 also provides information on crimeprevention techniques, information on crime prevention products, theirinstallation and operations to a user based on anticipated needs or userrequests. It also sends crime related statistics to one or more of theplurality of mobile devices 109, based on a user request from one of theplurality of mobile devices 109 or based on a perceived need in theneighborhood determined by the server 111.

In one embodiment, when requested by a member of the primary group fromhis mobile device 109, the server 111 sends a suspicious activity checklist (or a set of user interaction screens) comprising solicitations fordescription of persons involved, solicitations for descriptions ofvehicles involved, solicitations for descriptions of location andaddress where a suspicious activity took place, and a form for enteringdetails of any crime or damage that the user had witnessed.

The law enforcement agencies benefit from the present invention in manyways, as it supports communications, outreach, officer safety, policereputation and community engagement. Thus, the present invention makesit possible to provide the necessary technical support and necessarytechnological resources to local law enforcement agencies and citizensto make local community based policing and neighborhood watch programsmore useful and effective.

In fact, the present invention makes it possible for the local lawenforcement officials, community leaders and others to participate inneighborhood watch programs and interact with the members, providecomments, review observations reports, etc. They can send messages andreceive messages in the form of audio recording along with digitalphotos and videos they provide. The present invention makes it possibleto simultaneously create a blog of events that are held as part ofneighborhood watch program, in an automated mode (without any specialsetup or extensive operations) that can be shared with others. Mostimportantly, the present invention makes it possible for police andcitizens to collaborate on crime prevention, as they participate asmembers of the neighborhood watch group (primary group for example).

In general, whenever a member of a primary group sends a message orobservation report, the recipients for that message is determined by thetype associated with the primary group. Thus, a newly posted message canbe routed only to the managers of the primary group, and not to all themembers, if necessary. For example, whenever a member of a primal groupsends a message or observation report, it is sent to the managers (oneor more) of that primary group. However, a message posted by any managerin a primary group goes to all the members of the group. The recipientsor targets fbr messages can therefore be based on the configuration forthe group. If the group is configured in such a way that message from amember is only sent to the managers, and a message from a manager goesto all the members, the primary group is called a “manager oriented”group. On the other hand, if every message sent is received by all themembers, then the group is said to have been configured as a “useroriented” group. Both forms of groups have their use, and the manager ofthe group can set the configuration, as his preference, when creating anew group (can be subsequently changed if necessary). In addition, othertypes of groups are also contemplated, such as those that allow for“observers”, where an observer can send messages to a group, but themessages only goes to the manager of the group. Observers do not receivemessages typically sent to other members—they can only receive specificmessages targeted to them, sent by the managers of the group where theyare an observer. The concept of an observer is orthogonal to the abovementioned group types, in general.

In general, when the user sending a message or observation reportrequests that it be made anonymous, the mobile client 107 does notinclude user information along with the message or observation report.The server 111 receiving the message or observation report does notstore user identification along with the message or observation reportWhen it stores it in the database 147. For regular messages andobservation reports, the sevrer 111 receiving the message or observationreport does (by default) store user identification along with themessage or observation report when it stores it in the database 147—thusthe sender is always known unless the sender requests that it be madeanonymous. Other ways to make a message and observation report anonymousare also contemplated, such as modifying the voice message, etc.

FIG. 2 is a perspective block diagram of a mobile device 205 thatfacilitates user participation in a neighborhood watch program, whereinthe mobile device 205 can be used by a user to interact with others inthe neighborhood watch group and send messages to them, receiveinstructions from them, etc. The mobile device 205 is used forconducting neighborhood watch operations by a user. It iscommunicatively coupled to a server 211 that facilitates neighborhoodwatch activities. The mobile device 205 comprises a neighborhood watchmobile client 213 that interacts with the server 211.

The neighborhood watch mobile client 213 facilitates creating andsending messages to the server 211 for communication to one or moreother similar mobile devices, wherein the messages are anonymousmessages without any sender information, or regular messages with senderinformation, based on a user selection. The neighborhood watch mobileclient 213 presents an observation report form to the user, whenrequired, to enable the user to create an observation report and send itto the server 211.

The mobile device 205 also comprises a location data module 215 thatdetermines a current location of the mobile device 205, wherein thelocation data is based on GPS coordinates or on cellular towertriangulation data. The neighborhood watch mobile client 213 determinesa current location of the mobile device 205 employing the location datamodule 215 and communicates it to the server 211 along with each messageor observation report that is sent to the server 211. The mobile devicealso receives from the server 211 information on crime preventiontechniques, crime prevention products, their installation andoperations, and crime related statistics, based on a user request fromthe mobile device 205 or based on a perceived need determined by theserver 211.

The mobile device 205 retrieves from the server 211 a suspiciousactivity check list and displays it to the user. This is done when sucha check list is requested by a user of the mobile device 205. Asuspicious activity check list typically comprises input data entryprompts for description of persons involved, input data entry promptsfor descriptions of vehicles involved and solicitations for descriptionsof location and an address where a suspicious activity took place. Italso comprises a form for entering details of any crime or damage thatthe user had witnessed.

In general, the mobile device 205 makes it possible for a user to createanonymous messages or messages with sender information, wherein themessages comprise a recorded voice input captured with the mobile device205 and a photo taken with the mobile device 205. A recording circuitry221 in the mobile device 205 facilitates audio recording. A cameracircuitry 223 in the mobile device 205 facilitates taking a photo or avideo. The mobile device 205 also comprises a contact management module225 that is used to select one or more recipients, if necessary to sendmessages to them. This is sometimes necessary when the mobile client 213is used to download and locally store a list of group members—onlyreferences to the group members and their names is downloaded and storedlocally in the contact management module 225—phone numbers are notstored locally but are looked up as needed by the server 211 from itsdatabase of members.

The mobile device 205 is also capable of interacting over Bluetooth orWiFi (802.11 variants) with a second mobile device 245 in its vicinity,and with a laptop/personal computer (PC) 243. When it does communicatelocally, it can send messages and observation reports locally with othermobile devices and laptops/PCs in its vicinity.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary operation 301 of the mobile basedneighborhood watch system 105 wherein a group can interact with eachother using messages and observation notes while conducting neighborhoodwatch activities. Processing starts at a start block 305 when themanager of a neighborhood watch group logins to the server 111 to createa new group or manage a existing group from the mobile device 109. Themobile client application 107 in the mobile device 109 facilitates themanagement of a neighborhood watch group by providing appropriatescreens and functionality. Alternatively, it begins when the manageremploys a PC/laptop 135 (instead of the mobile device 109) to access thewebsite 145.

At a next Hock 307, the manager is prompted to form a primary group bythe server 111 (for both mobile device 109 access or in the case ofwebsite 145 access), and the user can employ the mobile client app 107to access group management features from the mobile device 109. Themanager is allowed to provide user contact information for a primarygroup of members, for users trying to become members of a neighborhoodwatch team. The manager also is prompted to provide their associatedmobile numbers for their mobile devices. The server 111 then sets updefault user accounts and login information for the members of the newlyformed neighborhood watch team/group. The users in the primary groupbeing formed are all typically resident in the same neighborhood.

At a next block 309, the user of the mobile device 109 sends ananonymous message, a regular message or an observation report employingthe mobile device 109. An anonymous message and a regular messagecomprise at least one of a voice recorded by the user on mobile device109 and a photo captured by the user on the mobile device 109. They mayalso contain a textual message typed in using the keyboard (real orvirtual) of the mobile device 109. In one embodiment, they may alsocontain a recorded video stream/file.

The recipients for the message are the members of the primary group. Ifthe user is using a website 145 of the server 111 to send the message oran observation report, then the message/report is sent by the server 111to all the members of the group. In one embodiment, whenever a membersends a message or observation report, the message goes only to themanagers of the primary group, and not to all the members. However, amessage sent by any manager in a group goes to all the members of thegroup. Recipients or targets for messages are thus based on theconfiguration for the group. If the group is configured to behave thatway, then it is sometimes called manager oriented group. On the otherhand, if every message sent is received by all the members, then thegroup is said to have been configured as a user oriented group. Bothforms of groups have their use, and the manager of the group can set theconfiguration on his preference. In addition, other types of groups arealso contemplated, such as those that allow for “observers”, where anobserver can send messages to a group, but the messages only goes to themanager of the group. Observers do not receive messages typically sentto other members they can only receive specific messages targeted tothem, sent by the managers of the group where they are an observer.

At a next block 311, the mobile device 109 receives the sent message orobservation report. Each user in a primary group is expected to receivethat message or observation report on their mobile device or on thewebsite 145 of the server 111. Then, at a next block 313, anyinstructions provided employing a guided activity (which is a contentformat in which instructions can be provided) is presented to the userin the mobile device 109. For example, one of the users of the primarygroup (or even an observer) can send a guided activity to the primarygroup (often in response to a previous message or inquiry). The guidedactivity is communicated to all the members of the primary group.

Then, at a next block 315, the mobile device 109 facilitatescoordination of the primary group activities for the members of theprimary group. The user of the mobile device 109 can coordinate groupactivities for the members of the primary group whenever he wants to, byselecting appropriate screen provided by the mobile client 107.Coordination may include setting up a meeting, setting up a neighborhoodwatch activity, etc. it can also include assigning tasks to members andascertaining if these tasks are completed. Then, at a next block 317,the mobile client 107 of the mobile device 109 receives, from the server111, and displays for the user, information on crime preventiontechniques, crime prevention products, their installation andoperations, and crime related statistics. The server 111 sends thisbased on a user request from the mobile device 109 or based on aperceived need in the neighborhood determined by the server 111.

Then, at a next block 319, the mobile client 107 of the mobile device109 optionally (when requested by the user) presents a home securitychecklist that solicits user responses to questions regarding exteriordoors, garage and sliding door security, protecting windows, outdoorsecurity, overall security when away from home, and security for outdoorvaluables and personal property. The user can access this feature on themobile device 109 by activating appropriate screens provided by themobile client 107.

Then, at a next block 321, the mobile client 107 of the mobile device109 optionally (when requested by the user) presents a vacation securitycheck list on the mobile device 109. The user is prompted to check radiobuttons on that checklist to indicate if the items on the check listhave been complied with.

At a next block 323, the mobile client 107 of the mobile device 109optionally (when requested by the user) instructs the user on tips foravoiding false alarms at home and frivolous calls to the police and the911 emergency systems. Then, at a next block 325, the mobile client 107of the mobile device 109 facilitates forwarding of a message (anonymousor otherwise) or an observation report to another group or to anobserver (other recipients in general). Such forwarding, in oneembodiment, occurs with the help of the server 111, and in anotherembodiment, without the involvement of the server 111. For example, amessages or an observation report is forwarded by the user to anexternal system to selectively share them with police and other lawenforcement organizations.

Then, at a next block 331, processing terminates at the end block.

In one embodiment, the observation report created by the mobile device109 comprises a set of user inputs provided by the first one of theusers in response to a form presented to user, wherein the formcomprises a plurality of user prompts soliciting the set of user inputsfrom the user on the mobile device 109 for the webpages presented by thewebsite 145).

In one embodiment, the anonymous message is created on the mobile device109 based on user preference. Also, the anonymous message or the regularmessage is communicated only to one or more managers in the primarygroup based on group configuration (employing parameters that govern howthe communications in the group are conducted).

In one embodiment, an observation report or a message also comprises aGPS coordinate gathered from the first mobile device and an optionalstreaming video captured by the user employing the mobile device 109.

In another embodiment, the mobile client 107 of mobile device 109supports registration of users as members of the primary group. Thisinvolves completing a registration form presented to the user on themobile device 109.

In another embodiment, the mobile client 107 of mobile device 109supports activating a help call using the mobile device 109 that resultsin the server 411 sending an alert message to the primary group, alongwith other relevant data. It also supports showing, when requested bythe user, on the mobile device 109, a suspicious activity check listcomprising solicitations for description of persons involved,descriptions of vehicles involved, descriptions of location and addresswhere a suspicious activity took place, and details of any crime ordamage that the first one of the users had witnessed.

In general, the mobile client 107 of mobile device 109 supportsretrieving an anonymous message, a regular message or an observationreport in reverse chronological order from the server 111. The server111 manages a collection of such data stored and managed by the server111.

As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the terms“messages” and “blogging messages,” as may be used herein, include alltypes of messages posted to be blogged by users witnessing orparticipating in neighborhood watch events. The terms “events” includessporting events such as foot patrol, meetings, training, overseeingsecurity at football and basket ball games, participating in musicalevents such as the orchestra, concerts, etc.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of sportingmessages where audio recorded on the mobile device and photo captured onthe mobile device are communicated as part of the message, it must beclear that the present invention also applies to other types of datathat can be part of a message, such as text, video streams, charts,graphs, tables, html content, etc.

The present invention has also been described above with the aid ofmethod steps illustrating the performance of specified functions andrelationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of these functionalbuilding blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined hereinfor convenience of description. Alternate boundaries and sequences canbe defined so long as the specified functions and relationships areappropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences arethus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.

The present invention has been described above with the aid offunctional building blocks illustrating the performance of certainsignificant functions. The boundaries of these functional buildingblocks have been arbitrarily defined for convenience of description.Alternate boundaries could be defined as long as the certain significantfunctions are appropriately performed. Similarly, flow diagram blocksmay also have, been arbitrarily defined herein to illustrate certainsignificant functionality. To the extent used, the flow diagram blockboundaries and sequence could have been defined otherwise and stillperform the certain significant functionality. Such alternatedefinitions of both functional building blocks and flow diagram blocksand sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claimedinvention.

One of average skill in the art will also recognize that the functionalbuilding blocks, and other illustrative blocks, modules and componentsherein, can be implemented as illustrated or by discrete components,application specific integrated circuits, processors executingappropriate software and the like or any combination thereof.

Moreover, although described in detail for purposes of clarity andunderstanding by way of the aforementioned embodiments, the presentinvention is not limited to such embodiments. It will be obvious to oneof average skill in the art that various changes and modifications maybe practiced within the spirit and scope of the invention, as limitedonly by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of supporting group interactions by aserver, wherein the server is communicatively coupled to a plurality ofmobile devices, the method comprising: creating and managing a pluralityof user groups, by the server, from a plurality of users, each of theplurality of users associated with one of the plurality of mobiledevices, wherein each of the plurality of user groups is associated witha neighborhood watch program; sending, by the server, a message or anobservation report received from a first mobile device among theplurality of mobile devices to all the members of a first user group,wherein the message or observation report is sent by a first user usingthe first mobile device among the plurality of mobile devices; receivingand sharing, by the server, responses to the message or observationreport that is provided by one or more members of the first user groupvia their respective ones of the plurality of mobile devices; providing,by the server, instruction to perform a monitoring task or a securityrelated activity, in the form of a guided activity, communicated by oneof the members of the first user group employing a corresponding one ofthe plurality of mobile devices, to all the members of the first usergroup; and supporting, by the server, coordination of group activitiesarranged by the members of the first user group, wherein groupactivities comprise setting up a meeting, attending a meeting,conducting a neighborhood monitoring activity, and conducting assignedtasks.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the observation report comprisesa set of user inputs provided by the first user in response to a formpresented to the first user, wherein the form comprises a plurality ofuser prompts soliciting the set of user inputs.
 3. The method of claim 1wherein the guided activity provides instructions on conducting one ofthe following: completing a task, collecting data, reportinginformation, making observation reports, reporting a task conducted,reporting on something noticed and reporting on a situation witnessed.4. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is one of an anonymousmessage or a regular message.
 5. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: the server forwarding a message or observation reportcreated by a member of the first user group to at least one member of asecond user group.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:communicating, by the server, information on crime preventiontechniques, crime prevention products, their installation andoperations, and crime related statistics to one or more of the pluralityof mobile devices, based on a user request from one of the plurality ofmobile devices or a perceived need in a neighborhood associated with theuser.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising: sharing observationreports with local crime prevention groups and local law enforcementgroups by making them accessible via a website associated with theserver; and providing access, by the server, to observations andmessages to the all the members from their own mobile devices.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: registering, by the server, a newgroup when the server receives, from the mobile device of a user,details of the new group comprising a list of members, wherein the userproviding the list of members is designated to be a manager of the newgroup; and sending by the server, to a mobile device associated with themanager of the new group, instructions on how to hold neighborhoodmonitoring meetings, additional information about the neighborhoodmonitoring program, and other ideas to help the group interact.
 9. Themethod of claim 1 wherein observation report sent by the first mobiledevice also comprises a GPS coordinate gathered from the first mobiledevice and an optional video captured by the first user employing thefirst mobile device.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:tracking and monitoring crime in a specified neighborhood, by theserver, based on observation reports and messages from the plurality ofusers, including thefts reported, vandalism and burglaries reported, thetrafficking of child pornography reported, identity theft complaintsreceived, various forms of Internet fraud reported, hacking and networkintrusion cases reported, harassing and threatening cases reported, andchild abuse or exploitation cases reported.
 11. A client application ina mobile device communicatively coupled to a server, the clientapplication comprising: the client application configured to receivefirst input from a user to create a new neighborhood watch group, thefirst input comprising a list of members and related member information;the client application configured to determine whether one or morepredefined conditions has been met; if the one or more predefinedconditions has been met, client application configured to send to atleast one member of the neighborhood watch group via the server, one ofa message, an observation report, a form to be filled with details, aguided activity for coaching, or a alarm reminding individual members ofactivities to be conducted; the client application configured to receivefrom the user second input on the mobile device, the second inputcomprising a request which the client communicates to the server; andwherein, in response to the second input sent to the server, the clientapplication is configured to receive and display a suspicious activitycheck list comprising solicitations for description of persons involved,descriptions of vehicles involved, descriptions of location and anaddress where a suspicious activity took place, and details of any crimeor damage that the user had witnessed.
 12. The client application ofclaim 11, wherein the message comprises a digital image taken by theuser on the mobile device, an audio recording, and a textual descriptionand a GPS coordinate.
 13. The client application of claim 11, whereinthe message comprises a digital video captured on the mobile device anda GPS coordinate.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: theclient application receiving third input from the user on the mobiledevice, the third input comprising a request for information on crimestatistics in the neighborhood; and wherein, the client applicationconfigured to be responsive to the third input by receiving andpresenting information on crime prevention techniques, crime preventionproducts, their installation and operations, and crime relatedstatistics.
 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: the clientapplication configured to receive third input from the user of themobile device, the third input comprising a request; and wherein,responsive to the third input, the client application configured toreceive and present from a first server system a home security checklistthat solicits user responses to questions regarding exterior doors,garage and sliding door security, protecting windows, outdoor security,overall security when away from home, and security for outdoor valuablesand personal property.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:the client application configured to receive a third input from the userof the mobile device, the third input comprising a vacation periodmonitoring request; and wherein, responsive to the third input, theclient application is configured to receive and present, from a firstserver system, a commitment of additional patrol and observation by atleast one member of the neighborhood watch group.
 17. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising: the client application configured to sendone of an anonymous message, a regular message or an observation reportto one or more members of a primary group of individuals in theneighborhood, who receive them via their associated ones of theplurality of mobile devices.
 18. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: the client application configured to include, as members ofa neighborhood watch group, local law enforcement officials andcommunity leaders to participate in neighborhood watch programs.
 19. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising: the client applicationconfigured to automatically create a blog of events that form a part ofneighborhood watch program, wherein the blog is accessible on Internet.20. The method of claim 11, further comprising: the client applicationconfigured to, when requested by the user, show information onsuspicious activities in the neighborhood, and also let the user reporton suspicious activities that the user may have witnessed.